Council Housing: Westminster

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes she expects to be upgraded in Westminster under the Decent Homes Initiative over the life of the programme; and how much she expects the Government to have spent on the programme over its lifetime.

Yvette Cooper: In the City of Westminster there are 12,407 homes owned by the local authority and managed by City West Homes the Council's arm's length management organisation. The Government have allocated £74 million in supported capital expenditure to City West Homes between 2002 and 2006 for its decent homes programme.
	Local authorities started reporting on decent homes in 2002. Between 2002 and 2006 the number of non-decent council homes in Westminster was reduced by 9,665. At 1 April 2006 there were still 1,182 non-decent council homes. Data by local authority for registered social landlords (RSLs) has only been collected since 2005. Between 2005 and 2006 the number of non-decent RSL homes was reduced by 167. At 1 April 2006 there were still 1,706 non-decent RSL homes.
	The decent homes programme also covers non decent homes in the private sector occupied by vulnerable households but we do not hold this data at the local authority level.
	The cost per house of meeting the decent homes standard varies across the country and the Department does not collect those figures separately. Some local authorities are refurbishing the houses in their area significantly above the decent homes standard. What the improved standard is and how it will be achieved will be determined by local circumstances and the level of resources that can be brought to the programme locally. The Government expect over £31 billion to be spent on refurbishing council homes by 2010, this includes local authorities own investment and raising houses above the decent homes standard.

Housing: Carbon Monoxide

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the percentage of private homes in  (a) England and  (b) each region which have carbon monoxide levels higher than those deemed safe by the World Health Organisation.

Angela Smith: While data is collected for carbon monoxide emissions and carbon monoxide related fatalities, no statistics are routinely collected about carbon monoxide levels in homes.

Housing: Low Incomes

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the cost of providing new houses for key workers by  (a) purchase assistance,  (b) purchase from housing associations and  (c) construction of (i) social housing and (ii) council housing.

Yvette Cooper: The Government offer specific housing assistance to key workers in areas experiencing problems of recruitment and retention difficulties under the key worker living (KWL) scheme. The scheme operates in London, south east and east of England. Key worker living funding is divided between Open Market HomeBuy (equity loans to purchase properties on the open market) and new build products such as New Build HomeBuy (shared ownership of newly built homes) and intermediate rent (where the rent is set at a level between that charged by social and private landlords).
	On 2 October 2006 Open Market HomeBuy was re-launched in partnership with four mortgage lenders. Half of the equity loan is provided by Government and half by the mortgage lender. This reduces the level of public sector subsidy required making it possible to help more people into different forms of shared ownership. The average grant per unit for key worker Open Market HomeBuy completions in the current financial year prior to the re-launch of the product was £39,687. Currently the average grant rate per unit for key workers that have purchased under the under the new Expanded Open Market HomeBuy product is £26,762.
	The estimated average grant per unit for New Build HomeBuy properties in the three key worker living regions under the national affordable housing programme for 2006-2008 is £34,623.
	We do not collect data on key worker access to social rented properties. The average cost of providing a social rented unit nationally was £133,941 of which £62,000 was the average public subsidy in the form of grant. Statistics are not collected on the construction costs specifically of new council housing.

Local Government Finance

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to make available to local authorities that part of this year's local authority Business Growth Initiative awards which has been withheld; and what assessment she has made of the impact on local authority budgets of the withholding of those awards.

Phil Woolas: As we have previously announced, in the three years to 2007-08 local authorities will receive up to £l billion through Local Authority Business Growth Initiative. We have abolished the ceiling but due to judicial reviews brought by Corby and Slough borough councils, this year payments have been scaled back to 70 per cent. of their value to protect the important incentive this scheme creates for authorities both in this year and next year. Authorities received £316 million this year which is more than two and a half times the £126 million of grant paid last-year and 50 more authorities have received LABGI grant this year than last.
	There is therefore a detrimental effect on local authorities due to the action of Slough and Corby councils. I have made no assessment of this impact.

Planning: Aviation

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether, under Planning Policy Statement 3, open land associated with an airfield and used for recreational aviation will be potentially subject to development; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  whether, under Planning Policy Statement 3, the Government have changed its policy on the protection of airfields from development; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green) on 19 February 2007,  Official Report , column 500W.

Armed Forces: Drugs

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of Directorate of Army Personnel Strategy following its examination of factors which lead to drug use among soldiers referred to in the answer of 17 May 2006, on armed forces (drug offences),  Official Report, columns 952-3W.

Derek Twigg: The Directorate of Army Personnel Strategy's examination of factors which lead to drug use among soldiers is not yet complete. I will consider placing a copy of the report in the House Library when it becomes available.

Iraq: Peace Keeping Operations

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel were redeployed to  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan within (i) one month, (ii) two months, (iii) three months, (iv) four months, (v) five months, (vi) six months, (vii) one year and (viii) two years of completing their last deployment in each of the last three years.

Adam Ingram: Deployment figures are currently provided at aggregate levels based on manual returns. They are not available in central individual level databases. As such this data could not be collated without incurring disproportionate cost.

Chad: Peace Keeping Operations

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response she plans to make to the conclusions of the recent UN mission to Central African Republic and Chad on the measures needed to bring peace and stability to eastern Chad.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 18 April 2007
	We are very concerned about the humanitarian situation in eastern Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR) and the spill over of violence from Darfur. We take every opportunity to call on the Governments of Chad and Sudan to implement their commitments to respect each other's borders and honour their obligations to protect their citizens.
	On 27 February, Assistant Secretary-General Hedi Annabi briefed the UN Security Council, in closed consultations, on the Secretary-General's recommendations for deployment of a UN peacekeeping force in Chad and CAR following a second Technical Assessment Mission to the two countries.
	The UK will continue to work with the UN and partners on the Security Council to create the necessary conditions for a UN mission to Chad and CAR, as called for under UN Security Council Resolution 1706. On 16 April my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary stated to the Security Council that agreement is needed for a UN peacekeeping operation in Chad.

EC External Trade

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has  (a) made to the EU and  (b) received on the negotiations on economic partnership agreements with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

Geoff Hoon: The Government are working closely with the European Commission who are negotiating economic partnership agreements on behalf of the EU, EU member states and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. It listens carefully to the views of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), while doing so to ensure that these agreements are truly development-focused and designed to deliver long-term development, economic growth and poverty reduction in ACP countries.
	The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is leading the UK representation on these negotiations supported in its work by the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
	Recent representations:
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development met with ACP Ministers and negotiators in November 2006.
	My right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, Ian McCartney, met NGOs on 11 January. He and my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development, Gareth Thomas, meet with them three to four times a year.
	As part of the Trade Policy Consultative Forum my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs meets quarterly with NGOs and the business community to discuss a variety of trade policy issuesEconomic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) usually feature on the agenda; next meeting will be in May.
	DTI and DFID officials met with Richard Bernal, Caribbean negotiator, on 14 March.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development met with ACP and EU Ministers in Bonn on 1 March at the EU-ACP Joint Ministerial Trade Committee.
	DTI officials met with Peter Thompson, Director-General Trade in charge of EPAs on 26 March.
	UK officials have discussions with the Commission and other EU member states on a daily basis/at/around ACP and 133 meetings and in the margins.
	Also, UK officials meet with officials from other member states on a quarterly basis.
	DTI, DFID and FCO officials met with NGOs on 17 April.

Dental Services: Children

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children received orthodontic treatment in each year between 2002 and 2006; and how many have received such treatment in 2006-07.

Rosie Winterton: Information is provided for the years ending March 2002 to March 2006. Information for the year ending March 2007 is not yet available.
	
		
			  Number of children receiving national health service general dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS) orthodontic treatment ,  England only ,  April 2001 to March 2006 
			  Year ending  March  Number of children treated 
			 2002 524,205 
			 2003 523,422 
			 2004 552,332 
			 2005 573,109 
			 2006 591,064 
			  Notes: 1. Data is for claims scheduled for the financial years ending March 2002 to March 2006 in both GDS and PDS.  2. The number of children treated is based on the claims containing at least one orthodontic treatment which were processed at the DPD during the year stated.  3. The claims for orthodontic treatment may have been for a transitional payment, complete treatment or incomplete treatment.  4. Orthodontic treatment is as defined under items 32, 55e and 55f of the statement of dental remuneration.  5. Children are defined as patients under 18 on the date of acceptance for treatment.  6. Patients have been identified by using surname, first initial, gender and date of birth.  7. England data is for both GDS and PDS.  8. Because of the transition arrangements from GDS to PDS, patients may have been double counted. For orthodontic cases, which have long durations, this could be a serious distortion.   Source:  NHS Business Services Authority Dental Practice Division.

Dental Services: Northamptonshire

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residents in Northamptonshire were registered with an NHS dentist  (a) in April 2006 and  (b) in the most recent month for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 16 April 2007
	The information requested is not held in the format required.
	Registration data no longer forms part of the data available under the new national health service dental contract; the new measure is patients seen within the last 24 months and is available at primary care trust level. In response to part  (a), data is available as at 31 March 2006. In response to part  (b) the latest data available is as at 31 December 2006.
	Both datasets can be found in annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England quarter 3: 31 December 2006 report, which is available in the Library and is available at www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental06q3

Dental Services: Northamptonshire

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residents in  (a) Kettering,  (b) Wellingborough,  (c) Corby,  (d) Northampton South,  (e) Northampton North and  (f) Daventry constituency were registered with an NHS dentist (i) in each year since 1997 and (ii) in the latest month in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 16 April 2007
	Constituency level registration data from 31 March 1997 to 31 March 2006 is contained in annex C of NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006 which is available in the Library and also at www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dwfactivity.
	Registration data no longer forms part of the data available under the new national health service dental contract; the new measure is patients seen within the last 24 months and is available at primary care trust level. This latest data available is as at 31 December 2006. This information is contained in annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England Quarter 3: 31 December 2006 report, which is available in the Library and also at www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental06q3.
	Constituency level data is no longer available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

Dental Services: Reform

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to publish the report of the Implementation Review Group on the first 12 months of the NHS dental reforms.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 16 April 2007
	The Department plans to publish a report on the first 12 months of the reforms once we have full year data. The first year data is likely to be available in June. The report will take into account the main issues discussed by the Implementation Review Group so far.

Doctors: Conditions of Employment

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date she expects the new contract for staff and associate specialist doctors to be implemented.

Andy Burnham: NHS Employers and the British Medical Association have submitted proposals to the Government on a new contract for staff grade and associate specialist doctors. In line with the arrangements for all public sector pay proposals, those proposals are currently under consideration by the Public Sector Pay Committee of Cabinet Office.

Health Services: Cornwall

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust on future provision of health services for families with under fives previously provided through Surestart funding.

Andy Burnham: This is a matter for the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust (PCT) which has been working productively over the past year with the Cornwall county council's children's services to ensure that there has been no reduction in service delivery and that there is now a focus on the modernisation of service delivery.
	NHS South West confirms that Sure Start funding has enhanced the partnership working at the frontline of service delivery in Cornwall, providing joint agency contribution to delivering the five Every Child Matters outcomes. The PCT continues to work in partnership with the county council to address the multi-disciplinary needs of children who have used these services in the past and aims to deliver equitable and sustainable services across the whole of the county.
	I understand that a review of children's health services will be announced at the primary care trust board meeting on 30 April 2007 and the hon. Member may wish to engage with the PCT for further information on this matter.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 438-40W, on hospitals: waiting lists, what percentage of those waiting for  (a) out-patient appointments waited longer than 11 weeks,  (b) diagnostic tests waited longer than 13 weeks and  (c) in-patient appointments waited longer than 20 weeks in the most recent period for which figures are available; and when her Department expects to receive data relating to March 2007.

Andy Burnham: At the end of February 2007, 1.8 per cent. of patients waiting for a first out-patient appointment had been waiting longer than 11 weeks; 5.5 per cent. of patients waiting for an in-patient admission had been waiting longer than 20 weeks; and 19.3 per cent. of patients waiting for one of the 15 key diagnostic tests on which monthly data are collected had been waiting more than 13 weeks.
	Of the over-13-week diagnostic waits, 62 per cent. were for audiology assessments. Plans to address this were published on 6 March in Improving Access to Audiology Services in England.
	March 2007 in-patient and out-patient data will be published on 4 May 2007. March diagnostic data for the 15 key tests will be published on 16 May 2007. The March census of diagnostic waits, which covers other long wait tests, will be published in July.

Maternity Services: Expenditure

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total expenditure by her Department on neonatal care services including staff costs but excluding National Specialist Commissioning Advisory Group -funded services was in each of the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: This information is not available in the format requested.
	Estimates of total expenditure on neonatal care services for the last three financial years are available from the programme budgeting returns and are as shown.
	This data covers all primary, secondary and community expenditure. It is not possible to split the expenditure to exclude information on a National Specialist Commissioning Advisory Group.
	
		
			   Gross expenditure (000) 
			 2003-04 655,015 
			 2004-05 811,215 
			 2005-06 786,390 
			  Source: PFR4 DH Annual Accounting Forms

Midwives: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives were employed in hospitals in Lancashire in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  National health service hospital and community health services: Qualified midwifery staff in each specified organisation as at 30 September 
			  H eadcount 
			2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust RVY 127 113 116 116 129 
			 Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust(1) RTX 159 159 149 356 177 
			 Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Health Care(3) RMB 167 168 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Blackpool Victoria(2) RMR 176 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust(2) RXL n/a 150 131 126 125 
			 Burnley Healthcare NHS Trust(3) REU 106 109 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Chorley and South Ribble NHS Trust(4) RJU 37 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust(3) RXR n/a n/a 283 303 316 
			 Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust(4) RXN n/a 194 149 111 186 
			 Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust(4) RMF 165 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 n/a = Not applicable (1) In 2004 Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS submitted an incorrect bank nursing return. The Trust alerted us to this several months after the publication of the Census, by which time it was too late to amend the results. Nursing figures from this Trust for 2004 are inaccurate. (2.) Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust was formed in April 2002 from a merger of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Community Health Services NHS Trust and Blackpool Victoria Hospital NHS Trust. (3) East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust was formed in April 2003 from a merger of Burnley Health Care NHS Trust and Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Health Care NHS Trust. (4) Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust was formed in August 2002 from a merger of Chorley and South Ribble NHS Trust and Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.  Source:  The Information Centre for health and social care non-medical workforce census.

Occupational Health: Manpower

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) occupational physicians and  (b) occupational health nurses were employed in the NHS in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The latest available data on the number of doctors in occupational medicine in each year since 1997 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): medical and dental staff working in occupational health by grade and yearEngland as at 30 September each year 
			  Number (headcount) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 England 178 191 185 192 221 218 231 212 209 
			 Consultant 63 65 65 70 80 76 85 87 96 
			 Associate Specialist 2 6 4 4 4 8 6 6 9 
			 Staff Grade 2 1 1 7 5 2 3 6 2 
			 Registrar Group 20 24 33 30 43 46 46 45 47 
			 Senior House Officer 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 2 0 
			 House Officer 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Hospital Practitioner/Clinical Assistant 89 94 80 81 76 67 69 49 40 
			 Other 2 1 1 0 13 19 20 17 14 
			  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care medical and dental workforce census 
		
	
	The annual national health service workforce census does not separately identify occupational health nurses from the rest of the nursing workforce.

Offensive Weapons

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many and what percentage of people convicted under section 1 of the Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act 1959 received a  (a) fine and  (b) custodial sentence in each of the last five years, broken down by age group;
	(2)  how many and what percentage of people convicted of having an article with a blade or point under section 139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 received  (a) a fine and  (b) a custodial sentence of (i) less than six months, (ii) six to 12 months, (iii) 12 to 18 months, (iv) 18 to 24 months, (v) two to three years and (vi) four years in each year since the Act was introduced;
	(3)  how many and what percentage of people convicted of carrying an offensive weapon under section 139A of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 received  (a) a fine and  (b) a custodial sentence of (i) less than six months, (ii) six to 12 months, (iii) 12 to 18 months, (iv) 18 to 24 months, (v) two to three years and (vi) four years in each year since the Act was introduced;
	(4)  how many and what percentage of people convicted of encouraging violent behaviour involving the use of a knife under the Knives Act 1997 received  (a) a fine and  (b) a custodial sentence of (i) less than six months, (ii) six to 12 months, (iii) 12 to 18 months and (iv) 18 to 24 months in each year since the Act was introduced;
	(5)  how many people and what percentage of people convicted of carrying an offensive weapon under section 1 of the Prevention of Crime Act 1953 received  (a) a fine and  (b) a custodial sentence of (i) less than six months, (ii) six to 12 months, (iii) 12 to 18 months, (iv) 18 to 24 months, (v) two to three years and (vi) four years in each of the last 30 years.

John Reid: The information requested is contained in the tables.
	Table 1 shows persons sentenced (all persons sentenced have previously been convicted) under the Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act 1959 by outcome and age group for the years 2001 to 2005.
	Table 2 shows persons sentenced for the requested offences relating to knives and offensive weapons by outcome and custodial sentence length since the Offensive Weapons Act 1996 amended or added to section 139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. No persons convicted or sentenced have been notified to the Home Office court proceedings database under section 2(1 )(b) of the Knives Act 1997.
	Information is available only from 1986 to this level of detail for offences under the Prevention of Crime Act 1953.
	Court proceedings statistics for 2006 will be available in the autumn.
	
		
			  Table 1: Persons( 1)  sentenced for offences under the Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act, by age group and outcome, England and Wales 
			  Persons 
			  Fine  Immediate custody  Otherwise dealt with( 2) 
			  Offence  Statute  Year and age group  Total persons sentenced  No.  % of persons sentenced  No.  % of persons sentenced  No.  % of persons sentenced 
			 Making, selling, hiring etc 'flick knife' or 'gravity knife' etc Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act 1 959 sec 1 and Criminal Justice Act1988 sec 141 2001
			   Aged 10-17 1 1 100.0 
			   Aged 18-20 1 1 100.0 
			   Aged 21 and over 3   1 33.3 2 66.7 
			   All ages 5   1 20.0 4 80.0 
			   
			   2002
			   Aged 10-17
			   Aged 18-20 2   1 50.0 1 50.0 
			   Aged 21 and over 2 2 100.0 
			   All ages 4   1 25.0 3 75.0 
			   
			   2003
			   Aged 10-17
			   Aged 18-20
			   Aged 21 and over 4 1 25.0 1 25.0 2 50.0 
			   All ages 4 1 25.0 1 25.0 2 50.0 
			   
			   2004
			   Aged 10-17
			   Aged 18-20 1 1 100.0 
			   Aged 21 and over 9 7 77.8   2 22.2 
			   All ages 10 7 70.0   3 30.0 
			   
			   2005
			   Aged 10-17
			   Aged 18-20 1 1 100.0 
			   Aged 21 and over 7 3 42.9   4 57.1 
			   All ages 8 3 37.5   5 62.5 
			 (1) Principal offence basis. (2) Absolute and conditional discharges, community sentences and other miscellaneous disposals. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Persons( 1)  sentenced for various offences connected with knives and offensive weapons, by outcome, including immediate custodial sentence length, England and Wales 
			  Persons 
			Immediate Custody 
			  Fine  Total
			  Offence  Statute  Year  Total persons sentenced  No.  %  of persons sentenced  No.  % of persons sentenced  Less than 6 months  6 months and less than 12 months  12 months and less than 18 months 
			 Having an article with a blade or point in a public place Criminal Justice Act 1988 sec 1 39 as amended by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 sec 3 1996 890 448 50.3 56 6.3 52 3  
			   1997 3,341 1,177 35.2 372 11.1 347 15 7 
			   1998 3,788 1,184 31.3 550 14.5 493 46 9 
			   1999 3,548 1,026 28.9 534 15.1 493 34 4 
			   2000 3,518 986 28.0 499 14.2 454 38 7 
			   2001 4,303 1,146 26.6 589 13.7 536 47 3 
			   2002 5,269 1,347 25.6 766 14.5 676 76 7 
			   2003 5,311 1,275 24.0 755 14.2 668 69 13 
			   2004 5,802 1,128 19.4 803 13.8 706 88 6 
			   2005 5,957 951 16.0 965 16.2 850 89 23 
			
			 Having an article with a blade or point on school premises Criminal Justice Act 1988 sec 139A(1) and (5X1) as added by the Offensive Weapons Act 1996 sec 4(1) 1996 12 5 41.7  
			   1997 19 4 21.1 3 15.8 3   
			   1998 16 3 18.8  
			   1999 16 6 37.5 2 12.5 2   
			   2000 44 10 22.7 7 15.9 6   
			   2001 61 18 29.5 3 4.9 1 2  
			   2002 57 9 15.8 7 12.3 7   
			   2003 88 14 15.9 6 6.8 5 1  
			   2004 106 20 18.9 12 11.3 11 1  
			   2005 45 2 4.4 5 11.1 4  1 
			
			 Possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse on school premises Criminal Justice Act 1988 sec139A(2) and (5Xb) as added by the Offensive Weapons Act 1996 sec 4(1) 1996 3 2 66.7 1 33.3 1   
			   1997 19 2 10.5 4 21.1 3   
			   1998 20 1 5.0 5 25.0 1 4  
			   1999 20 3 15.0 3 15.0 2   
			   2000 18 0 0.0 6 33.3 4 1  
			   2001 19 2 10.5 3 15.8 3   
			   2002 21 0 0.0 5 23.8 2 3  
			   2003 21 0 0.0 4 19.0 1 1 1 
			   2004 33 1 3.0 4 12.1 2 1 1 
			   2005 30 2 6.7 3 10.0 1 2  
			
			 Publication of any written, pictorial or other material in connection with the marketing of any knifethe material is otherwise likely to stimulate or encourage violent behaviour involving use of a knife as a weapon Knives Act 1997 sec 2(1)(b) 1997 
			   1998 
			   1999 
			   2000 
			   2001 
			   2002 
			   2003 
			   2004 
			   2005 
			
			 Possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse Prevention of Crime Act 1953 sec 1 as amended by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 sec 2(1) 1986 4,961 2,511 50.6 505 10.2 385 89 15 
			   1987 5,916 3,030 51.2 536 9.1 397 96 29 
			   1988 5,804 2,994 51.6 498 8.6 341 104 43 
			   1989 5,121 2,709 52.9 386 7.5 253 102 21 
			   1990 4,288 2,300 53.6 210 4.9 142 53 10 
			   1991 3,907 1,876 48.0 222 5.7 162 40 11 
			   1992 3,608 1,655 45.9 233 6.5 160 53 16 
			   1993 3,129 1,257 40.2 167 5.3 129 27 5 
			   1994 3,302 1,269 38.4 216 6.5 161 44 7 
			   1995 3,196 1,147 35.9 304 9.5 241 38 16 
			   1996 3,545 1,094 30.9 401 11.3 310 66 17 
			   1997 4,130 1,204 29.2 509 12.3 399 72 22 
			   1998 4,375 1,223 28.0 585 13.4 490 67 16 
			   1999 4,135 1,070 25.9 554 13.4 442 79 17 
			   2000 4,108 964 23.5 595 14.5 474 84 25 
			   2001 4,873 1,146 23.5 634 13.0 516 82 21 
			   2002 5,441 1,129 20.7 787 14.5 629 103 31 
			   2003 5,394 1,168 21.7 760 14.1 596 108 29 
			   2004 5,758 1,037 18.0 817 14.2 652 120 28 
			   2005 5,689 741 13.0 829 14.6 644 129 34 
		
	
	
		
			  Persons 
			  Immediate custody  Otherwise dealt with( 2) 
			  Offence  Statute  Year  Total persons sentenced  18 months and less than 2 years  2 years and less than 3 years  3 years and less than 4 years  4 years  More than 4 years  No.  % of persons sentenced 
			 Having an article with a blade or point in a public place Criminal Justice Act 1988 sec 1 39 as amended by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 sec 3 1996 890 1 386 43.4 
			   1997 3,341 3 1,792 53.6 
			   1998 3,788 1 12,054 54.2 
			   1999 3,548 3 1,988 56.0 
			   2000 3,518  2,033 57.8 
			   2001 4,303 2 12,568 59.7 
			   2002 5,269 6 13,156 59.9 
			   2003 5,311 4 13,281 61.8 
			   2004 5,802 3 3,871 66.7 
			   2005 5,957 2 14,041 67.8 
			
			 Having an article with a blade or point on school premises Criminal Justice Act 1988 sec 139A(1) and (5X1) as added by the Offensive Weapons Act 1996 sec 4(1) 1996 12  7 58.3 
			   1997 19  12 63.2 
			   1998 16  13 81.3 
			   1999 16  8 50.0 
			   2000 44  127 61.4 
			   2001 61  40 65.6 
			   2002 57  41 71.9 
			   2003 88  68 77.3 
			   2004 106  74 69.8 
			   2005 45  38 84.4 
			
			 Possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse on school premises Criminal Justice Act 1988 sec139A(2) and (5Xb) as added by the Offensive Weapons Act 1996 sec 4(1) 1996 3
			   1997 191  13 68.4 
			   1998 20  14 70.0 
			   1999 201  14 70.0 
			   2000 18 1 12 66.7 
			   2001 19  14 73.7 
			   2002 21  16 76.2 
			   2003 21  117 81.0 
			   2004 33  28 84.8 
			   2005 30 - 25 83.3 
			
			 Publication of any written, pictorial or other material in connection with the marketing of any knifethe material is otherwise likely to stimulate or encourage violent behaviour involving use of a knife as a weapon Knives Act 1997 sec 2(1)(b) 1997 
			   1998 
			   1999 
			   2000 
			   2001 
			   2002 
			   2003 
			   2004 
			   2005 
			
			 Possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse Prevention of Crime Act 1953 sec 1 as amended by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 sec 2(1) 1986 4,961 11 51,945 39.2 
			   1987 5,916 14 2,350 39.7 
			   1988 5,804 8 22,312 39.8 
			   1989 5,121 6 42,026 39.6 
			   1990 4,288 4 11,778 41.5 
			   1991 3,907 7 21,809 46.3 
			   1992 3,608 4 1,720 47.7 
			   1993 3,129 4 21,705 54.5 
			   1994 3,302 1 31,817 55.0 
			   1995 3,196 7 21,745 54.6 
			   1996 3,545 6 22,050 57.8 
			   1997 4,130 8 6 2   2,417 58.5 
			   1998 4,375 7 3 2   2,567 58.7 
			   1999 4,135 5 8 2 1  2,511 60.7 
			   2000 4,108 4 4 4   2,549 62.0 
			   2001 4,873 11 3 1   3,093 63.5 
			   2002 5,441 12 8 3 1  3,525 64.8 
			   2003 5,394 13 11 3   3,466 64.3 
			   2004 5,758 9 6 2   3,904 67.8 
			   2005 5,689 10 9 1 1 1 4,119 72.4 
			 (1) Principal offence basis. (2) Absolute and conditional discharges, community sentences and other miscellaneous disposals.  Source: RDS-NOMS, Home Office

Offensive Weapons

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of people convicted of encouraging violent behaviour involving the use of a knife under the Knives Act 1997 have been  (a) female and  (b) male.

Tony McNulty: Data from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform shows that there have been no convictions for this offence.

Offensive Weapons: Schools

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) arrests were made and  (b) convictions were secured under section 139A of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 for the offence of having an article with a blade or point or an offensive weapon on school premises in each of the last five years, broken down by age group.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 16 April 2007
	Information on arrests for recorded crime offences under s139 and 139A of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (as amended by s4(1) of the Offensive Weapons Act 1996) and s1 of the Prevention of Crime Act 1953 (as amended by s2(1) of the Offensive Weapons Act 1996) are not separately identifiable within the arrests collection held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. The collection is based on persons arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences) by main offence group (i.e. violence against the person, robbery, burglary, criminal damage etc) only.
	Information on the number of persons found guilty for the offences requested in England and Wales for the years 2001-05 are provided in the following table, broken down by age group.
	
		
			  Number of persons found guilty at all courts for certain offences( 1,2,3) , England and Wales 2001 to 2005 
			  Age group  
			   Offence description  Statute  Year  Aged 10 to 11  Aged 12 to 14  Aged 15 to 17  Aged 18 and over  All ages 
			 811 Possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse Prevention of Crime Act 1953, Sec 1(1) as amended by Offensive Weapons Act 1996, Sec 2(1 ) 2001 4 136 976 3,765 4,881 
			2002 5 113 953 4,398 5,469 
			2003 4 135 832 4,432 5,403 
			2004  134 1,047 4,576 5,757 
			2005 4 124 999 4,601 5,728 
			 826 Having an article with blade or point in public place Criminal Justice Act 1988, Sec 139 as amended by Offensive Weapons Act 1996, Sec 3 2001 5 128 806 3,360 4,299 
			2002 2 134 812 4,333 5,281 
			2003 8 147 755 4,398 5,308 
			2004 5 170 817 4,792 5,784 
			2005 7 186 888 4,880 5,961 
			 827 Having an article with blade or point on school premises Criminal Justice Act 1988, Sec 139A (1)(5)(a) as amended by Offensive Weapons Act 1996, Sec 4(1) 2001  2 6 15 23 
			2002  6 10 3 19 
			2003 2 6 7 14 29 
			2004  11 16 10 37 
			2005 1 14 17 12 44 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.  (2) Data for having an article with blade or point on school premises excludes convictions for West Mercia PFA until clarification of these cases is obtained.  (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces and courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Aerials: Planning Permission

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many planning applications  (a) to construct and  (b) to add to existing telecommunications masts in each council area of Northern Ireland were approved in the last 12 months.

David Cairns: The Department of the Environment's Planning Service approved 155 planning applications for telecommunications masts between 1 April 2006 and 31 March 2007 and the following table shows the number approved in each district council area. I regret Planning Service's electronic records system does not provide a distinction between an application for the construction of a mast and an addition to an existing mast.
	
		
			  District council area  Planning approvals in 2006-07 
			 Antrim 4 
			 Ards 4 
			 Armagh 2 
			 Ballymena 5 
			 Ballymoney 2 
			 Banbridge 2 
			 Belfast 26 
			 Carrickfergus 3 
			 Castlereagh 6 
			 Coleraine 7 
			 Cookstown 1 
			 Craigavon 6 
			 Derry 12 
			 Down 5 
			 Dungannon 7 
			 Fermanagh 3 
			 Larne 1 
			 Limavady 1 
			 Lisburn 12 
			 Magherafelt 3 
			 Moyle 0 
			 Newry and Mourne 8 
			 Newtownabbey 4 
			 North Down 8 
			 Omagh 14 
			 Strabane 9 
			 Total 155

Community Support Officers

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what facilities are to be provided for the training of community support officers to be recruited in Northern Ireland; and at what cost.

Paul Goggins: Training for PCSOs will be based on a six-week programme, comprising both classroom and practical based learning. It is envisaged that part of this training will take place within the community and the environments in which PCSOs will work. The programme will include role specific training, skills development, and the knowledge necessary for working in the communityincluding human rights, diversity, ethics and problem solving. As with other members of police staff, PCSOs will have access to ongoing training as needed
	Full costings for training are not yet available.

Further Education: Student Wastage

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many students in further education in Northern Ireland failed to complete their course in the last 12 months; and how many of them were in the final year of their course.

Maria Eagle: During the 2005/06 academic year a total of 24,219 enrolments, which equates to some 16 per cent. of total provision, in the Northern Ireland Further Education Sector failed to complete their course. Some 16,157 of this total were final year enrolments.
	 Notes:
	1. The source for this analysis is the Further Education Statistical Record (FESR) and the Further Education Leavers Survey (FELS).
	2. The figures quoted include students who dropped out of their original programme of study and subsequently transferred to another course.
	3. The data above pertain to assessed provision only and is the latest available.

Licensed Premises

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many businesses were licensed to sell alcohol in each district council area in each of the last six years; how many of those businesses breached their licence over the same period; and what penalty was imposed in each case in which all proceedings are complete.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	Court data in respect of licensed premises is recorded by Petty Sessions District. The information requested is tabled as follows.
	
		
			  Table A 
			  Petty  S essions  D istrict  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Antrim 73 62 56 66 71 70 
			 Armagh 101 104 103 103 104 106 
			 Ards (includes Castlereagh) 146 128 118 124 129 127 
			 Ballymena 85 82 81 89 83 86 
			 Banbridge 63 53 68 70 66 67 
			 Belfast 523 427 470 489 599 566 
			 Craigavon 82 71 70 86 99 101 
			 Down 147 149 148 150 156 151 
			 East Tyrone 199 161 196 185 193 194 
			 Fermanagh 154 123 152 152 158 170 
			 Larne 42 42 41 42 44 44 
			 Limavady 63 64 61 60 57 63 
			 Lisburn 113 103 106 109 100 107 
			 Londonderry 175 155 156 171 182 189 
			 Magherafelt 90 67 77 79 78 79 
			 North Antrim 208 217 195 204 204 207 
			 North Down 98 95 91 100 100 102 
			 Newry and Mourne 175 151 181 188 185 184 
			 Omagh 106 93 110 100 112 115 
			 Strabane 82 79 81 83 82 84 
			 Total 2,725 2,426 2,561 2,650 2,802 2,812 
		
	
	
		
			  Petty  S essions  D istrict  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Antrim   
			 Armagh   
			 Ards (includes Castlereagh) 1 Breach  
			  Fine 400.00  
			 Ballymena   
			 Banbridge   
			 Belfast  2 Breaches 7 Breaches 5 Breaches  1 Breach 
			   Fine 250.00 4 x Fine 75.00 Licence suspended 1 week 2 x Fine 150.00  8 x Fine 50.00 
			   4 x Fine 125.00 
			   Fine 500.00 2 x Fine 400.00 4 x Fine 75.00   
			   Fine 750.00 2 x Fine 500.00
			   Licence suspended 1 day Fine 2,500.00 2 x Licence suspended 6 weeks
			3 x Fine 1,000.00 2 x Fine 200.00   
			 4 x Fine 500.00   
			 2 x Fine 750.00   
			2 x Fine 75.00 5 x Fine 250.00   
			2 x Fine 100.00 3 x Fine 500.00   
			5 x Fine 750.00 Fine 1,000.00 Licence suspended 1 month   
			3 x Fine 1,500.00
			Fine 75.00 Fine 75.00   
			Fine 250.00 Fine 100.00 Fine 250.00   
			2 x Fine 750.00 2 x Fine 150.00   
			 Fine 200.00   
			 Fine 350.00   
			6 x Fine 75.00
			2 x Fine 100.00
			2 x Fine 150.00
			5 x Fine 250.00
			2 x Fine 500.00 Licence suspended 1 week
			3 x Fine 100.00
			4 x Fine 200.00
			Fine 250.00
			5 x Fine 500.00
			Fine 1,000.00
			Fine 1,500.00
			Fine 2,000.00
			 Craigavon1 Breach   
			 Fine 300.00   
			 Down1 Breach  1 Breach 
			 Fine 200.00 Licence suspended 1 week  Fine 350.00 
			   Fine 150.00 
			 East Tyrone 1 Breach  2 Breaches  6 Breaches 7 Breaches 
			  Fine 75.00  Fine 140.00  Fine 750.00 Licence suspended 1 week Fine 200.00 
			Fine 300.00  Fine 200.00 Licence suspended 1 week Fine 250.00 Fine 150.00 
			  Fine 300.00 Fine 360.00 
			  Fine 750.00 Licence suspended 1 week 2 x Fine 500.00 
			  Fine 300.00 2 x Fine 500.00 
			  Fine 500.00 Licence suspended 2 weeks 2 x Fine 300.00 
			   Fine 1,000.00 
			 Fermanagh   1 Breach
			Fine 450.00
			 Larne 1 Breach  
			  Fine 500.00  
			 Limavady  1 Breach 
			   Fine 500.00 
			 Lisburn4 Breaches   
			 Fine 100.00   
			 Fine 300.00   
			 Fine 150.00   
			 Fine 150.00   
			 Londonderry   
			 Magherafelt   
			 North Antrim   
			 North Down 1 Breach  
			  Fine 750.00  
			 Newry and Mourne  1 Breach 
			   Fine 150.00 
			 Omagh  1 Breach 
			   2 x Fine 150.00 
			   Fine 300.00 
			 Strabane  2 Breaches   2 Breaches 4 Breaches 
			   Fine 250.00   Fine 250.00 Fine 500.00 
			   2 x Fine 1,000.00 
			   Fine 250.00   Fine 1,000.00 2,000.00 
			   200.00 
			   500.00

Licensed Premises

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many alcohol licence applications were made in each district council area in Northern Ireland in each of the last six years; and how many were  (a) accepted and  (b) declined.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	Court data in respect of alcohol licence applications in Northern Ireland is recorded by petty sessions district. Similar information was sought last year and published on 9 October. One application refused in Craigavon in 2001 was omitted from the answer provided then. The following table corrects this mistake and shows the number of alcohol licence applications granted and refused in each of the last six years for each petty sessions district.
	
		
			  Number 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			  Petty Sessions District  Granted  Refused  Granted  Refused  Granted  Refused  Granted  Refused  Granted  Refused  Granted  Refused 
			 Antrim 4  2  1  2 1 5  1  
			 Ards (inc Castlereagh) 10  7  3  11  9  8  
			 Armagh 3  4  9  2  4  5  
			 Ballymena 5  2  5  4  2  4  
			 Banbridge 1  2  1  2  3  1  
			 Belfast 26 2 37  45 5 25  42  50  
			 Craigavon 3  5  5  7  5  4  
			 Down 6  8  3  3  10  4  
			 East Tyrone 5  4 1 9  12  8  7  
			 Fermanagh 6  4  8  2  0  2  
			 Lame 0  0  0  4  4  0  
			 Limavady 2  1  0  1  3  3  
			 Lisburn 5 1 4  8  2  6  10  
			 Londonderry 19  10  8  8  12  5  
			 Magherafelt 3  8  3  2  1  2  
			 Newry and Moume 3  3  4  4  4  14  
			 North Antrim 8  9  2  8  9  7  
			 North Down 0  1  5  3  4  6  
			 Omagh 5  2  5  2  6  8  
			 Strabane 0  1  1  3  3  0  
			 Total 114 3 114 1 125 5 107 1 140 0 141 0

Regeneration

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the operation of the Renewing Communities programme since its establishment; and what the future plans for the scheme are.

David Hanson: The Renewing Communities Plan has been a positive development for Northern Ireland. A cross-departmental Delivery Team, chaired by the Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, has been established to review and monitor progress of all of the actions contained in the Renewing Communities Action Plan. The Delivery Team has reported regularly to me on the progress of the programme across all of the actions and of the arrangements to ensure cohesive inter-departmental working where appropriate. Individual lead Departments and their delivery agencies have been tasked with the responsibility for the evaluation of all their relevant actions before the Delivery Team complete an overview assessment of all the programme of actions.
	Following these two levels of assessment, the Delivery Team will determine those particular programmes which are considered to have potential to be rolled out across all disadvantaged communities and mainstreamed as part of each Department's contribution to tackling deprivation wherever it exists.

Companies House: Standards

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether Companies House targets issued by his office on 16 April vary from existing targets.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 19 April 2007
	 There are some changes between the targets set for Companies House in 2006-07 and those set in 2007-08. Copies of written statements giving targets for both years are available in the House of Commons Library, and 30 March 2006,  Official Report, column 100WS, and 16 April 2007,  Official Report, column 4WS.

British Airways: Standards

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the recent performance of British Airways;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with British Airways on their record of service to travellers in recent months;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to ensure that  (a) British Airways and  (b) BAA plc. has made appropriate preparations to manage risk.

Gillian Merron: As private companies, British Airways and BAA are responsible in the first instance to their shareholders for their performance. However, on behalf of transport users the Department takes a close interest in the operations of all UK airports and airlines as we do with all transport sectors, and in that context regular engagement is maintained with BA and BAA including on consumer issues.

Departments: Redundancy

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people in his Department who participated in  (a) involuntary and  (b) voluntary staff exit schemes in each year since 1997-98 were paid between (i) 0 to 25,000, (ii) 25,001 to 50,000, (iii) 50,001 to 75,000, (iv) 75,001 to 100,000 and (v) over 100,000; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department was formed in May 2002 and the information requested is in the table as follows.
	
		
			  Lump sum compensation payments 
			   2002-03  2003-04( 1)  2004-05( 1)  2005-06( 1)  2006-07( 1) 
			 Department for Transport One involuntary staff exit (between 50,001 and 75,000) and one voluntary for which details are not available. i. 17 ii. 3 iii. 0 iv. 0 v. 0 Six other voluntary exits for which details are not available i. 26 ii. 52 iii. 29 iv. 1 v. 0 One other voluntary exit for which details are not available i. 72 ii. 31 iii. 26 iv. 6 v. 10 17 other voluntary exits for which details are not available i. 260 ii. 66 iii. 12 iv. 6 v. 8 
			 Driving Standards Agency Information not available due to current change over of HR/Finance IT systems 
			 (1) Voluntary

London Airports: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what impact charges on the emission of oxides of nitrogen on  (a) landing and  (b) take-off at Heathrow and Gatwick airports have had on such emissions in each year since their introduction; and whether the revenue from those charges is hypothecated for spending on further emissions reduction measures.

Gillian Merron: It is too early to assess the effect of charges. The current framework is essentially revenue neutral with rebates for clean aircraft funded by the less clean aircraft. This, and other levers, have encouraged the industry to commit to reducing NOx emissions by 80 per cent. for new aircraft in 2020 compared to 2000.

Stamp Duties

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the number of zero carbon homes which may qualify for relief from stamp duty under the provisions of Clause 19 of the Finance Bill, broken down by region.

Edward Balls: No estimate is available of the numbers of qualifying zero-carbon homes by region.